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Language Barriers Among Immigrants

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As immigrants want to assimilate to the American society, obstacles emerge that hinder this process. These obstacles stemming from immigration has an effect on the attitudes of Americans. Immigrants coming to the U.S. face a potential language barrier, which may cause problems when acquiring healthcare. Immigrants, such as those from Asia, also come from different backgrounds with different cultural values. As a result of these obstacles, tension can rise between both Americans and immigrants themselves. Language Barriers As classified by the U.S. Census Bureau, 25.1 million Americans reported having limited-English proficiency. Nearly 80 percent are immigrants. Overall, the limited-English proficiency population represented 8 percent of the …show more content…

Uba, an author with degrees in sociology and psychology from several respectable universities, states “Some Asian Americans might take a more formal and reserved approach to social relations because of Asian cultural values emphasizing formality, self discipline, self-control, social sensitivity, politeness, the maintenance of interpersonal harmony, and sensitivity to the relative status of others so that one can behave accordingly.” (Uba) This value of respect contrasts greatly with the American ideas of personal achievement, standing up for one’s beliefs, and keeping work and personal business separate (Tan). Ellen Kim and Anna Mattila, of Pennsylvania State University School of Hospitality Management, discuss a study where Korean customers discussed their first experience in an American restaurant. The study concluded that the language barrier was an obvious source of stress for the Korean customers, in addition to cultural differences. The Koreans were unaccustomed to the American servers’ friendly attitudes, as in Korea, the position of the customer is considered higher than that of the server’s position (Kim &

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